Page 35 [35]
ENDRE MARTON: STUDENTS OF VIENNA, 1949
described as “a serious striving for quality” and “outstanding ambition”,” i.e.
the rendering of characters and situations more realistic, was mainly Marton’s
achievement. They also stressed that the mise-en-scéne “freshly brings human
closeness to the ancient territory of droll musical comedies”. Although
instead of “the stereotypes of operettas in Pest” Marton’s team created new
ones (with reactionists unarmed by the masses), the press considered the
performance to be a demonstration of “real, living people”, speaking to the
present “in the voice of operetta”.” According to the self-assessment of theatre
people, it was not “socialist realism” yet, only “the cultivation of revolutionary
traditions”, but the performance may have been more realistic than usual, due
to its utmost coordination.”
Playing operettas meant the application of countless conventions at the time,
which were largely abolished in the next decade. Actors may have arrived at
the rehearsals of Students of Vienna with their “well-established manners”,””
which Marton could only sift through. Margit Gaspar remembered the positive
tension, which vibrated in the rehearsals between the actors with prestigious
stage experience and the new manager and the new director watching them
with the expectation of a new style of acting.”* Actors were rather confused for a
while, but they were reassured by their roles, their songs and the lyrics as well as
by Marton’s way of working. The fact that the mise-en-scéne is mentioned only
succinctly (only with a few adjectives) in the reviews can be explained by this
reassurance: actors used proven recipes and Marton adjusted their individual
performance. Adjustment was also needed because speech dominated the
performance instead of singing. Compared to the length of the play, there were
relatively few numbers: an overture, 3 solos, 3 duets, 1 quintet, 1 combination of
solo and choir and 3 finales. The “flamboyant dialogues” and the “complicated
and expected taste. This kind of work was useful. Marton learned to work with actors within
a school.” Péter Léner: Pista bácsi, Tanár úr, Karcsi. Színházi arcképek (Egri István, Marton
Endre, Kazimir Károly), Budapest, Corvina, 2015, 107-108 and 109.
73 (L.J): , Bécsi diákok", 6.
A Ibid.
75 Ibid.
Speech by Gyorgy Szirtes at a meeting of the company in 1959, on the 10th anniversary of
the nationalization of theatres. Typed manuscript, 2. Location: Hungarian Theatre Museum
and Institute, 1.70.2011.
Banos: A színigazgató, 38.
Cf. “I'll never forget those rehearsals. There were great artists on stage: [Hanna] Honthy, Teri
Fejes, Maria Mezei, Andor Ajtay, Tivadar Bilicsi, [...] Kalman Latabar. We, the new leaders
of the theater were sitting in the front rows. Tension was almost unbearable. I often said that
we should thank the orchestral pit to separate us from the stage, like visitors are separated
from lions in a zoo... [...] But we laughed a lot during this unusual creation of a performance
and the ‘lions’ were having fun with us, understanding and helping us soon. I loved them
and they sensed it. I don’t think it’s possible to form a powerful ensemble without a common
intellectual and emotional basis.” Ibid., 16-17.
+. 33°